Healthy Navigation in the Digital World the Influence of Digital Well-Being on AI Anxiety in Psychology Students

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effect of digital well-being on AI anxiety among psychology students. Using a quantitative correlational survey design, 80 psychology students participated as respondents. The instruments employed were the Digital Well-Being Scale (Arslankara et al., 2022) and the AI Anxiety Scale (Wang & Wang, 2022), both adapted to the Indonesian context. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between digital well-being and AI anxiety (r = 0.264; p = 0.018). Simple linear regression further indicated that digital well-being positively influenced AI anxiety, explaining 6.9% of its variance (R² = 0.069). These findings suggest that higher levels of digital well-being are associated with higher levels of anxiety toward artificial intelligence. This indicates that digital well-being does not always act as a protective factor but may enhance awareness of technological risks, thereby increasing anxiety. Theoretically, the study expands the conceptualization of digital well-being as a dynamic construct shaped by psychological, social, and technological factors. Practically, it provides valuable insights for higher education institutions to design interventions that strengthen not only students’ digital literacy but also their psychological resilience in adapting to AI-driven developments.